The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that a chronically homeless person can cost the public between $30,000 and $50,000 annually in health care, incarceration and other costs.

When it came time for James Procopio to graduate from Manhattan College in 1964, he had three options: join the military, get married or move to Canada. He picked the first of the three, choosing to enlist in the U.S. Air Force right out of school.